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Ireland wasn’t the only country that spoke Gaelic though there are of course differences between the language spoken in Ireland and in parts of Scotland. I live in a part of Scotland where Lallans rather than Gaelic was spoken and yet Gaelic names are popular here despite initial issues with spelling. I love Eilidh, Eilionoir and Marsaili amongst others and have met people called Eilidh, Mairead, Orfhlaith, Marsaili, Aine and Mhairi is also used as a name in its own right though originally it would not have been.

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Yes they should be used outside of Ireland and Scotland as while you will have to spell your name correctly a lot people you come into contact with every day will quickly learn how to spell it.

All your examples - no doubt why you chose them! - have 'normal' equivalents in English. So the only reason I can think of to use the Gaelic spelling would be to make a point about ancestry and/or place of origin. It would certainly involve several explanations a day, and the name-bearer would get heartily sick of all the repetition. But, heritage counts and so does accuracy; if it were me, I'd consider using Aidan, Rowan etc as fns or otherwise using Aodhán, Ruadhán etc as middle names. 'Should' doesn't really come into it: it isn't a matter of rules, rather of convenience.

Yes

Sure. Though I know in the US: in some states, you can't officially use diacritical marks on the birth certificate. So a Californian would have to be Aodhan not Aodhán...I don't think it "should" be like that, but eh, whatever, it is.

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Some have been used a lot like Sean and Siobhan, so are recognizable, and I consider those versions the standard. It's not like there's a standard English alternative spelling of Siobhan, so even if someone uses Shavonne, it might get misspelled as Shivaughn or read as "Shay-vahn-ee" or something. And someone saying Sean and Siobhan should be John and Jane just because those are traditional English names would seem egregiously insensitive/oblivious/rigid.

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I mean, this isn't Gaelic but basically the same issue: I talked to a guy named Wouter today. Do I think his name gets pronounced wrong a lot of the time? Yeah. But his name isn't Walter or Vowter. Why use a name you don't like.

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I'm not against phonetic spellings, though. I just wouldn't necessarily say they're simpler or more appealing.

This message was edited 10/2/2024, 9:18 AM

I think they should be used outside of Ireland but I'm afraid the names would be butchered in pronunciation (Caitlin should be "KAT-leen") and by phonetic spellings (poor Siobhan has suffered greatly). If people are going to appropriate a name from a specific culture, they should respect the "rules" of that culture in regards to pronunciation and spelling. The more we see and hear these names, the more familiar they become.

No, I think they are best confined to areas where the majority of people either speak Gaelic or are very familiar with it so they know how to spell and pronounce it. A name-nerdy parent might say "Oh, I don't mind if it's hard for people to say/understand" but they're not actually the ones who'll be stuck repeatedly spelling and respelling the name for people and explaining that it's just like Katrina and no, they dont know why Mom and Dad didn't just spell it Katrina.

Gaelic names are tricky for people who aren't familiar with them, but it's not an insurmountable problem. I know someone who has a daughter named Aoife in Canada, and it's not an issue.

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I think a person outside of Ireland could certainly use the name, but should accept that it's a choice that will come with a lot of explanations and questions, and not be surprised by it.

Gaelic-spelled names are very difficult to pronounce. They are usually spelled nothing like the pronunciation.